Next Friday, Sept. 26, is National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. That sounds like the perfect time for those who support the complete ban of asbestos in the United States, and who support research funding for mesothelioma, to petition their Representative to finally move this bill forward.

Asbestos-banning legislation has been brought before the Senate and the House of Representatives numerous times in the past decade, but has never been able to get to a final vote of both houses and reach the President to be signed into law.

This bill is strong, and would require the federal government to take action ot address asbestos and its harmful effect. It would require the disposal of asbestos-containing materials within two years, and would prohibit the importing, manufacturing, processing or distributing of asbestos-containing materials (except for specific exemptions for the Department of Defense and NASA).

H.R. 3339 also would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a plan to increase awareness of the danger of asbestos-containing materials in homes and workplaces, and would encourage reserach and treatment of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.

Contact your Representative NOW. It’s easy. Just click on this link to visit the House of Representatives online. Find the Rep for your Congressional District and email him or her and ask for this bill’s passage. If your Representative serves on the House Committee on Energy, it’s even more important that you let him or her know that you want to see this bill passed. Please help!

Let’s do more than acknowledge mesothelioma this Sept. 26. Let’s make a stand to eliminate this unecessary killer.

We’ve added a Ban Asbestos Bill tracker on our home page to help you keep up with this bill’s status.

SOURCE: myMeso › Don’t let Vento asbestos, meso bill die in committee

The bill is currently in committee, with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Even if your district’s representative is not on this committee, it is important to let him or her know that you support the bill so that they know how to vote. The more voices they hear from their constituency, the better chance they will pay attention when this finally comes to the House floor.

If your representative IS a member of this committee, it is even more important. Many bills “die” in committee, never making it to a vote of the full House or Senate. Please make sure your representative helps get this bill approved in committee and to the floor for its vote.

My representative, Terry Everett (2nd District, Alabama), acknowledged his receipt of my request with a letter, in which he said he will keep my thoughts in mind should the bill make it to the floor, although he is not a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

According to information provided by Everett’s office, H.R. 3339 would require several actions to be taken by the federal government in addressing asbestos and its harmful effects. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would establish a plan to increase awareness of the dangers posed by asbestos-containing materials in homes and workplaces and encourage participation in research and treatment endeavors of asbestos-related disease patients.

The bill also would require the disposal of asbestos-containing materials within two years and the prohibition on the importing, manufacturing, processing or distributing of asbestos-containing materials, except for specific exemptions sought by the Department of Defense and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

If you are not sure of the representative for your Congressional District, visit the House of Representatives online. You can also find out here if your representative is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Please take the time to do this today. Your one voice is SO important. Let it join thousands of others to finally make a real difference.

SOURCE: myMeso › Asbestos, mesothelioma bill still in committee

In October 2007, the Senate companion bill, sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), passed. The House bill toughened the legislation, under the direction of the Environment and Hazardous Material Subcommittee of the House’s Energy and Commerce Committee, eliminating an exception for asbestos present at 1 percent or less by weight, making the ban a matter of federal statute rather than EPA regulation, and adding enforcement provisions.

The Meso Foundation reports the critically needed medical research funding provisions from Sen. Murray’s and Congresswoman McCollum’s legislation have not yet been added to the Committee Print.

In a statement released yesterday in support of including the research funding, the Meso Foundation said, “for the sake of all those already exposed, those now sick, and those who will be exposed in the future to asbestos already in place, we call on the Health Subcommittee to follow Sen. Murray and Congresswoman McCollum in recognizing the necessity of a robust asbestos disease research program, and to adopt the research funding provisions included in their legislation.”

Read the full story about this important legislation at Yahoo! News.

Supporters are urged to contact their Representative in Washington, DC, to urge inclusion of the research funding and swift passage of the complete bill once the funding is in place.

In Alabama, House Representatives are Robert Aderholt (4th Congressional District), Jo Bonner (1st), Mike Rogers (3rd), Spencer Bachus (6th), Robert E. “Bud” Cramer (5th) and Terry Everett (2nd). If you are not sure which is your congressional district, to locate contact information for your representative or to locate the representative for your state, visit the United States House of Representatives online, and click on your state for a list of your representatives.

Please contact your Representative NOW to let them know you support this legislation and to ask for their support. Please email me if you’d like any help!

SOURCE: myMeso › Action alert for Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act